Light art is an artistic trend that came about in the second half of the twentieth century, and uses light from various sources as its medium. Often, light art takes the form of site-specific installations, although it may also manifest as three-dimensional or wall-mounted sculpture. Minimalist sculptor Dan Flavin was a pioneer of the medium. He used commercially available neon light tubes as the raw materials for his light sculptures, which were made to be placed in specific locations. Flavin harnessed the ambient effects of the light as well as the physicality of the neon tube itself to create moving, even transcendent sculptural works. Other artists make works out of neon tubes twisted into text or images, not unlike commercial advertisements in a bar window. Bruce Nauman’s neon light works carry dark and often humorous messages about the nature of the human condition that sharply contrast with their mass media context. Tracey Emin, a member of the Young British Artists, also makes neon works that reflect the confessional and deeply personal message of the rest of her oeuvre.

Many light artists use non-neon light sources to produce large scale light art. Deeply interested in the way light affects perception, James Turrell is known for his monumental, site-specific installations that fully encompass the viewer. His Skyspaces harness natural, changing light and are intended to be viewed at specific times of day. Turrell believes in slowing down the viewing process, forcing viewers to notice and appreciate incremental change. Other artists who use light in innovative ways in their work include Jenny Holzer, Olafur Eliasson, Allie Pohl, Jim Campbell, and Robert Montgomery.